The present invention relates to a device for feeding a supply of materials to a working station. More particularly, the present invention relates to a rotatable stock feeding mechanism which can be manually rotated to present a new supply of materials to a working station.
Manufacturing facilities typically supply components in bulk to a working station. The working station can be a machining center, an assembly line or any other type of working station. The components that need to be machined or assembled are supplied in a box, a bin, a pallet or in any other form of bulk supply. The worker at the working station works through the components that have been supplied and when all components in the box, bin, pallet or in any other form of bulk supply have been machined or used, it becomes necessary to restock the work station with additional components.
In order to improve the efficiency of supplying and removing components from a working station, pallet changers have been developed. Pallet changers typically include a pallet support which is rotatable between the work station and a pallet supply station. The pallet supply station is where the finished components or empty pallets are removed and a new pallet filled with unfinished components or a new supply of components are supplied. A pallet or other container, on which components to be finished or assembled are stacked, is transferred from the pallet supply station to the working station. After the components are finished or assembled, the pallet or container, which has been finished or emptied, is transferred from the working station to the pallet supply station by rotation of the pallet changer. The rotation of the pallet changer moves the finished components or empty container to the pallet supply station while simultaneously moving a pallet or container of unfinished or unassembled components from the pallet supply station to the working station. Once, the finished components or empty containers arrive at the pallet supply station they can be exchanged for a pallet or container of unfinished or unassembled components and the cycle continues. Thus, the pallet changers ensure a continuous supply of materials to the working station.
The incorporation of these pallet changers has improved the operating efficiency of the machining tool or the assembly process, but, the automatic pallet changers are expensive and difficult to maintain. In addition, the pallet changers require additional floor space for installation of the corresponding hydraulic pneumatic and/or electrical power units. Therefore, in a manufacturing plant, it may become difficult to install the pallet changer with its associated power unit once the machine tool and/or assembly line has been installed. Once the pallet changer has been installed, further problems may occur during maintenance/repair of the machine tool on the assembly line. In order to properly service the machine tool on the assembly line, it may be necessary to partially dismantle the pallet changer in order to gain access to the machine tool or the assembly line.
Continued development of these pallet chambers has been directed towards systems that are less complicated, lower cost and systems which can easily be moved in order to provide access to the respective machine tool or assembly line.
The present invention provides the art with a dual rotating stock system which includes a pair of tilt master positioning devices disposed at opposite ends of a rotatable turntable. The system incorporates a pair of aero-casters which lift the system in order to allow for the rotation between its two positions. The system rotates around a detent pin which engages a hole in the shop floor. The detent pin is retractable to allow for the horizontal movement of the system using the air springs when it is necessary to provide access to the manufacturing tool and/or assembly line.
Further areas of applicability of the present invention will become apparent from the detailed description provided hereinafter. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples, while indicating the preferred embodiment of the invention, are intended for purposes of illustration only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.